Clitheroe Get Their Kicks Down the M66

Clitheroe’s rugby team made the brief trip down the M66 to face Bury RUFC on Saturday. They returned triumphant, with their self belief restored and a handy bonus point to boot.

A great deal of collective and individual soul searching during the week gave the Littlemoor men the basic confidence; that is that you don’t suddenly become a bad team after one bad result.
Clitheroe knew they had to step up to the plate for this encounter. Bury having dropped down from the division above would be a tough nut to crack on their own paddock.

As they say in the modern parlance; Clitheroe had to ‘man up.’

As the maroons arrived at Bury’s well appointed ground, they could see that the home teams’ exhaustive, and possibly exhausting, warm up routine was already in full swing. This team means business.

Undaunted , Clitheroe were in good shape, even though the usual few absentees enforced a call up of reinforcements from the 2nd XV; Jim Smith and Andrew Thornber came into the front row and the silver fox Dave Watson amply filled the outside half jersey. Kiwi No.8 Darren Eagle and influential centre Chris Waddington both returned from extra curricular activities.

In fact it was Waddington who set the tone for the entire match, as far as Clitheroe were concerned. As Bury boldly launched their opening attack, and with exquisite timing, the silent assassin Waddington, crunched his opposite number to immediately put Clitheroe on the front foot. A palpable wave of confidence surged through the maroon and gold veins of the town team.

So much so that as Clitheroe swooped on any loose ball they could, lock forward Pete Farnsworth bashed through a couple of would be tacklers to dive over the whitewash. It was difficult to tell who was more surprised - the slightly stunned home team or Mr F himself, looking rather smug as he trotted back for the restart.

This seemed to spur Bury into action, and with a rather large unit causing a bit of bother on the left wing they replied with a try of their own.

Clitheroe battled on back and gained a penalty within range. Greg Birch was on target to put his team back in front.

Almost immediately Bury hit back again. Clitheroe were guilty of playing a bit too fast and loose in their own half, and paid the price. Another home try. 10-7 to Bury, and the match barely 20 minutes old.

Now it was the home team playing with some style, and Clitheroe were bogged down in their own half for long periods. No shock then, when Bury extended their lead, scoring a converted try on the half hour mark.

Before the start of the game Clitheroe would have been mildly satisfied with only a 17-7 half time deficit, but as they were playing with such renewed self-assurance, they all knew the best was yet to come.

The second half was a revelation. Straight from the kick off they were down in the Bury half probing for the line.
Bury kept conceding a raft of penalties.

Clitheroe’s next try came in a slightly comical manner; a close range penalty was awarded. And whilst the home team ever so unhurriedly reorganised their defence, prop Jim Smith, deceptively slowly, almost walked over the line to dot down the ball.

Bury complained, Jim didn’t. Play to the whistle chaps.

Greg Birch chipped over the conversion and Clitheroe were only 2 behind.

Not to be bested by his front row union chum, the lead was regained by loose head prop Andrew Thornber. Following a protracted series of close quarter rucks and thrusts, Thornber took the shortest route to the try line, burrowing over like a giant mole.

Bury had by now lost some of their poise, and when yet another attack found Stuart Railton unmarked wide out on the left, to put Clitheroe an somewhat unbelievable 17-25 ahead, it seemed like their collapse was total.

Not a bit of it. Bury are a proud team and they came storming back in the last 10 minutes. Only some desperate scramble defending kept them out. Pocket-sized full back Garth Spencer putting in some terrific last man tackles to keep the frantic Bury attacks at bay.

One final play as the clock wound down. Clitheroe had possession but in the excitement coughed it up too easily and Bury launched one final attack and scored in the corner on the final whistle.

A breathless end to a humdinger of a game where both sides played their part in an exhilarating game of rugby football

An outstanding away win, for Clitheroe. But now have the more difficult task of backing it up with another top drawer performance.

Their next game is at Littlemoor on Saturday week 26th October when Salford side Broughton are the visitors. [3pm]